to dream up

Examples

• All

• Engineers often dream up innovative solutions to complex problems.

• She could easily dream up an exciting plot for her next novel.

• Tell me something, Buddy, how do you dream up all that stuff?

  Fiction book (1991)

• The guy had been up late a lot of nights to dream up that one.

  Fiction book (1999)

• If I could like dream up my dream loft apartment living in a city, it would have this.

• We could dream up some lyrics maybe.

  Lolita (1962)

• "Oh, boy," said Terry, "I wish I could dream up a scheme like that."

  Fiction book (1996)

• Let's imagine the end of YouTube and then see what we might dream up as a result.

• Together, I thought, Simon and I could dream up ways to fill the emptiness.

  Fiction book (1996)

• Your job is to guess which dish was dreamt up by the kids.

Synonyms

I

to imagine

vsto dream up

∞ 1.3

To form a picture in your mind of something not real

adds a stronger sense of inventing something unusual or creative

C

to come up with

vsto dream up

∞ 2.7

To think of an idea or plan

leans more toward imagining unusual or creative possibilities rather than just supplying ideas

T

to think of

vsto dream up

866 2.1

Invent a plan or idea in your mind

puts stronger emphasis on originality and unusual creativity

I

to invent

vsto dream up

181 3.2

To make up a story or excuse that is not true

stresses imaginative and often unusual creation rather than mere fabrication

E

to envision

vsto dream up

164 4.1

To picture something in your mind, often a possible future

is more about inventing novel or unusual ideas than future planning images

W

to work up

vsto dream up

50 3.9

To develop an idea, plan, or design with effort

focuses on the initial creative imagining rather than slow development

T

to think up

vsto dream up

48 3.2

To make up an idea, plan, or excuse

focuses more on unusual or creative invention rather than practical fixes

C

to concoct

vsto dream up

46 6.0

Make up a story or excuse to trick people

emphasizes creative and unusual invention without implying deceit

C

to conjure up

vsto dream up

40 6.2

To bring a memory to mind or make something seem to appear by magic

is more about inventing something novel rather than only evoking images

C

to cook up

vsto dream up

• Informal

37 5.6

Invent a story or excuse to trick people

highlights imaginative and unusual creation rather than deceitful invention

H

to hatch

vsto dream up

35 5.2

To make a plan in secret, often to surprise someone

is more open to playful or unusual imagination rather than secrecy

E

to envisage

vsto dream up

11 6.8

To form a picture in your mind of something not present

leans more toward creative invention and unusual imagined things

Antonyms

D

to destroy

∞ 1.0

Damage something so badly that it cannot be used or fixed

How Creative

to invent

532 3.1

to dream up

• Informal

38 3.9

to create

∞ 1.0

to come up with

∞ 2.7

to think of

834 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology